How to Remove old Motherboard Drivers? [Step-by-step guide]

Maintaining your computer’s software and drivers is essential to maintaining a well-functioning device. Microsoft recommends uninstalling the older drivers before upgrading to a new system. Sometimes, old drivers can cause compatibility problems or even run the risk of causing damage to your system. It’s essential to check for outdated drivers to protect your computer periodically. There are many programs that you can use to do this automatically. In the event you need to uninstall old drivers yourself.

Motherboard drivers, from time to time referred to as chipset drivers, are the software program interface among the motherboard. The primary circuit board that all your additives plug into the working machine and applications. Just like tool drivers, motherboard drivers are vital too. When you improve your laptop’s hardware, it is essential to dispose of the vintage drivers earlier than putting in brand-new ones. Let’s read the next section to remove or uninstall the older motherboard’s drivers correctly! 

Tips when removing older drivers

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when uninstalling or removing old drivers:

• Get new drivers: Ensure you have the latest version of the drivers you want to install before uninstalling the old ones. This will ensure you have a working set of drivers if something goes wrong during the uninstallation process.

• Avoid using any third-party software: Avoid or, at least, be careful when using third-party software to uninstall or remove drivers, as they may not be able to remove all the related files and registry entries, which can lead to conflicts and stability issues.

• Double-check uninstallation of the older drivers: Check Device Manager for any remaining instances of the old drivers. In some cases, the drivers may be partially uninstalled, and you may need to manually remove them from Device Manager.

• Have a backup: Keep a backup of old drivers on your computer or external storage device. This will ensure that you can revert back to the older version of the driver if something goes wrong with the new one.

• Use the built-in tool provided by the operating system or the device manufacturer. This is the recommended way of uninstalling or removing old drivers, as it ensures that all the related files and registry entries are removed.

• Restart your computer after uninstalling the old drivers. This will ensure that the operating system does not continue to use any remaining files or registry entries from the old drivers.

How to remove old motherboard drivers? Follow this

Windows 11 includes at least three ways to remove drivers from your computer using Device Manager, Settings, and Control Panel. Let’s explore all the possible ways to remove old motherboard drivers:

Method 1: Device Manager:

The first method on the list is to use the Device Manager to uninstall or remove the older motherboard drivers. The steps include as follows:

• Step 1: Click the Start button or Windows logo > Search for Device Manager > click on the results to the app.

• Step 2: Locate the System devices > expand this class > find any device with the “chipset” term.

Note: Both chipset and motherboard meant the same when uninstalling the drivers. This is because the chipset actually used the driver, not the motherboard. 

• Step 3: Select your motherboard’s chipset > click on the Action from the top > choose Uninstall device to remove the older drivers. 

• Step 4: Restart your computer to update the recent changes.  

Method 2: Windows Settings.

The second method to uninstall the motherboard driver is using Windows Settings to access the desired drivers and uninstall them. The steps are as follows:

• Step 1: Open Settings on Windows > click on Apps > Apps & features tab.

• Step 2: Find your chipset or the driver you installed here. Select it > click on the uninstall > follow the process to complete uninstallation. 

Method 3: Control Panel

In the third method, we’ll use the Control Panel to uninstall the motherboard drivers. The steps include as follows:

• Step 1: Click the Start button or Windows logo > Search for Control Panel > click on the results to the app.

• Step 2: Go to the Program and features section > find the driver you want to uninstall > select it. 

• Step 3: Click the Uninstall button and follow the process to complete the uninstallation process. 

Clean up the disk

Once you have uninstalled the older motherboard drivers, cleaning your disk to remove them altogether is the next step. The steps include as follows: 

• Step 1: Click the Start button or Windows logo > Search for Disk Clean-up > click on the results to the app.

• Step 2: Select the drive you want to clean up; it’s System Slot (C) in my case, and most of the users > click OK.

• Step 3: Select the desired files and click OK to start the clean-up process. Ensure to wait until its completion.

Conclusion

The article provides tips for uninstalling or removing old drivers, including ensuring you have the latest version of the drivers to install, avoiding the use of third-party software, double-checking that the drivers have been completely uninstalled, keeping a backup of the old drivers, using built-in tools provided by the operating system or device manufacturer. It also provides specific instructions for removing old motherboard drivers using Device Manager, Windows Settings, and Control Panel on Windows 11. Ultimately, it teaches us to clean up the system’s memory disks.